Why You Should Go On Safari In Zambia This Year: The Bushcamp Company

The following is the second in a three-part series on the premier safari camps in Zambia, Africa's best-kept secret.

If you visit Zambia’s Mfuwe Lodge—the flagship of The Bushcamp Company—in November, you'll likely see elephants ambling through the open-air lobby as they make a beeline, right past the gift shop and reception, for a succulent wild mango tree on the far side. (After all, why take the long way around when you can just stroll up the steps and straight through?) The remarkable spectacle is just one of myriad enthralling encounters that await at the lodge and The Bushcamp Company’s six stunning bushcamps in South Luangwa National Park, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest wildlife sanctuaries. Arguably no other operator has done more to champion Zambia as a safari destination unrivaled in its authenticity.

Elephants strolling through the lobby are a common sight in November at Zambia's Mfuwe Lodge, the flagship of The Bushcamp Company.The Bushcamp Company

Zambia’s emergence as one of the last bastions of epic safari adventures is long overdue, but its relatively low profile—the country’s annual tourism marketing budget hovers well below $1 million, compared to $90 million for South Africa—has no doubt played a part in its pristine preservation. It was here, in the South Luangwa Valley, where visionary British conservationist Norman Carr pioneered walking safaris in the 1950s. Trekking in the footprints of the bush’s four-legged residents (and sometimes happening upon them), learning about their behavior and the astounding variety of flora that blankets the landscape, is a singular and distinctly Zambian thrill.

The proximity of The Bushcamp Company's six camps to one another makes it easy to create a safari circuit.The Bushcamp Company

This legacy remains central to the Bushcamp Company ethos: its camps all lie within about 60 miles of Mfuwe Lodge, allowing intrepid guests to travel via walking safari from one to another. It also enjoys the distinction of being the only safari operator in the remote southern part of the nearly 3,500-square-mile park, part of the whopping 32% of Zambian land dedicated to habitat and wildlife preservation.

“People say that Zambia epitomizes the real Africa, and they’re right,” says Mark Nolting, founder of the Africa Adventure Company and author of Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries, now in its ninth edition. “The wildlife is stellar and is getting even better, the guiding is superb, and the quality of accommodations has risen dramatically over the last decade.”

The Bushcamp Company, founded in 1999 by Andy Hogg—a native Zambian who still runs the company from its headquarters at Mfuwe—and Andrea Bizzaro, epitomizes this evolution. Nestled in a mahogany grove, Bilimungwe Bushcamp embodies the spirit of an off-the-grid safari outpost of a forgotten age, with just four thatched-roofed chalets overlooking a series of waterholes. (All of the bushcamps are solar-powered and accommodate a maximum of eight people to ensure a highly personalized experience.) A jackfruit tree—the world’s largest tree-growing fruit—grew over our room, making our roof a hotspot for baboons. They zipped back and forth with a Clydesdale-like footfall, dropping regularly onto our deck with a thud and a curious glance through the screen door before darting away.

Bilimungwe’s resident celebrity is Harry the hippo, who wiles away his days in the central lagoon reveling in his role as camp ambassador, usually with a few terrapins sunning themselves on his back. While devoted to his (rather cushy) duties, he doesn’t let the camp’s isolated locale get in the way of his social life: late one evening we heard prolonged and spirited splashing outside, and learned the next day that he’d been raucously entertaining a girlfriend who’d dropped by (men!). Another night he rummaged around in the tall grass below our deck until the wee hours, snorting with gusto, as I lay in bed wondering if there were any documented cases of hippos using their massive heads to smash through wooden floorboards from below.

Having spotted an abandoned baby puku, two lion cubs begin to stalk their prey.Alexandra Kirkman

Our first game drive at Bilimungwe set an exhilarating tone for our stay. Driving to a section of the riverbed that was completely dry given the season (September), we came upon Brutus, a strapping lion whose dark, lush mane makes him a particular stunner. We observed silently as he gazed at his two cubs who were playing in the riverbed nearby. Our soft-spoken, expert guide, Suzyo, then pointed at a herd of puku, a medium-sized African antelope, a couple hundred yards away. “We’re in for a show,” he said, just as Brutus, lounging in the golden grass just behind us, spotted the prey and rose to his feet, sauntering toward our jeep to circle it from behind. (As he approached, his huge, amber-speckled eyes seemed to lock with mine and he stopped suddenly some eight feet away. In a vaguely petrified whisper, I asked Suzyo what I should do; unfazed, he told me to just stay put. While Brutus continued on his way, I'm still convinced he was poised to defy all conventional safari wisdom and pounce.) As he emerged on the other side of the vehicle for a better look, the puku, sensing impending danger, scattered and fled into some nearby overgrowth, leaving a baby behind in the flurry. The two cubs, much closer to the puku than their father, stared down their prey as the tiny animal sprinted away in a cloud of dust, its pursuers hot on its heels. The fledgling hunters zigged and zagged toward the baby from opposite sides, the larger cub gaining more and more ground. When it seemed as though the puku’s fate was sealed, the cub suddenly ran out of gas, and the little victor disappeared into the bush at the edge of the clearing. We (quietly) cheered.

Revered for its exceptional wildlife and varied landscape, South Luangwa National Park covers nearly 3,500 square miles.The Bushcamp Company

After this considerable leonine excitement, Suzyo said he had a special place in mind for sundowners that evening. We headed in the waning daylight to another spot on the bank of the Luangwa River, where scores of Carmine bee-eaters—one of Africa’s most dazzling birds—swanned through the air. Every year, starting in late August, tens of thousands of them migrate south to nest and breed along a belt of rivers that stretches from Southern Angola and Zambia through northeastern Namibia and Botswana to Zimbabwe. Their brilliant red bodies, capped by plumes of electric blue, hung suspended against the violet sky before they careened into their nests in the riverbank and soared upward again. Watching this hypnotic scene with gin and tonics in hand, the only sound the symphony of birdsong carried on the breeze as the sun dipped below the horizon, was the kind of inimitably African moment that captures the boundless wonder of the natural world, and keeps safari lovers coming back year after year.

“Always expect the unexpected” could well be Zambia’s tagline. One night, Bilimungwe hosted a lantern-lit barbecue at the river’s edge, a short walk from camp, where guests and guides gathered around a long table as the moonlight shone bright on the water’s surface. Toward the meal’s end, as we shared stories from the day’s drives, Manda Chisanga, Bilimungwe’s head guide, cocked his head and gestured for silence. A hush fell over the group, and we heard a faint rustling in the dense brush bordering the riverbank where we sat. Manda stood and calmly but quickly ushered us back in the direction of camp. Moments later, an elephant barreled through the trees and across the path some 15 yards away from where we’d just gathered, snapping branches like toothpicks in his wake, as Manda yelled after him for crashing the party, quite literally.

South Luangwa National Park is one of Africa's best parks for leopard sightings.The Bushcamp Company

Other meals are less action-packed but just as memorable, thanks to The Bushcamp Company’s knack for grand gestures that make guests feel at home amidst some of the world’s most untouched wilderness. Early one afternoon—as we listened to a troop of baboons shrieking in panic, having spotted a leopard stalking nearby—our guide drove us to a clearing where the staff from Chindeni, another stop on our Bushcamp Company circuit, stood smiling behind a meticulously composed make-your-own-pizza bar. A wood-fired oven rivaling those found in southern Italy baked our surprise lunch to perfection. Scarfing down slices and wine at a picnic table overlooking the river, the sun warm on our faces as elephants gathered at the water’s edge below, set a new standard for future al fresco dining.

Chindeni's spacious tents are a stylish example of The Bushcamp Company's chic and eco-friendly aesthetic.The Bushcamp Company

The camps’ settings are equally exquisite. Case in point: Chindeni Bushcamp, an achingly beautiful sanctuary perched on the edge of a large lagoon and backed by picturesque hills. Its four spacious canvas tents are raised on wooden decks, each providing a unique view of the verdant lagoon, where elephants, hippos, and other local residents congregate. They’re smartly outfitted with four-poster canopy beds and double sinks, as well as eco-inspired furnishings like woven armchairs and ottomans. (Interior design aficionados will especially appreciate the overarching Bushcamp Company aesthetic, a modern but comfy twist on traditional safari chic.) At dusk, the camp’s outdoor common areas offer a stunning setting for cocktails and snacks served by the charming staff.

Zungulila Bushcamp, located on a bend in the Kapamba River in one of the least traveled areas of the park, recalls an Africa of a bygone era, overlooking expansive plains where lions roam and natural springs attract elephant and buffalo. Its four sprawling tents were enlarged and revamped last year, with redesigned bathrooms featuring standing bathtubs and eco-friendly decks perfect for perusing the majestic landscape. The exceptional quality of the bushcamps belies their value. Notes Andy Hogg, whose passion for Zambia is palpable, “If you picked up some of our camps and put them elsewhere in Africa, they’d be twice the price.”

Zungulila's spacious accommodations were revamped in 2017, and include redesigned bathrooms with striking standing tubs.The Bushcamp Company

Back at Mfuwe Lodge, located just inside the park’s main gate, creature comforts—its 18 roomy guest chalets all have private decks and air conditioning—combine with dazzling wildlife displays to enticing effect. It’s the perfect place to kick off or conclude (as we did) a Bushcamp Company adventure. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the amiable Andy, who led us to a terrace at the back of the main building. In the wide clearing below, hundreds of buffalo ambled by shoulder to shoulder, their formidable horns agleam as they moseyed along in a seemingly endless river of brown. It was quite a first impression of Mfuwe, which anchors The Bushcamp Company operation and is open all year.

The atmospheric Mfuwe Lodge is the perfect place to begin or end a Bushcamp Company safari.The Bushcamp Company

The Bush Spa at Mfuwe Lodge overlooks a lagoon where hippos frequently gather.The Bushcamp Company

Mfuwe Lodge also serves as the command center for The Bushcamp Company’s wide array of conservation and community projects. Its Meal-A-Day Programme currently feeds 2,500 students at three local schools, many of whom walk over six miles to class every day on an empty stomach. The Commit to Clean Water Fund, launched in 2014 to provide clean drinking water to villages in the local community, has drilled nearly 60 boreholes through 2017, with another 20 planned for this year. (An estimated 345 million people in Africa have no access to clean water.) Since 2010, The Bushcamp Company has worked with Mfuwe Day School, the only secondary school in the area, to improve its infrastructure through the construction of classrooms and dormitories; two new 500-square-meter dining/exam halls are close to completion, with two more classrooms planned for 2018. As part of the company’s ongoing support of Conservation South Luangwa (CSL), the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), The Bushcamp Company provided a light aircraft for aerial anti-poaching and research activities; Andy and his team aim to raise $250,000 for CSL this year.

“If we don’t give back, we’re simply not going to be able to protect what we all love, and if we do, at least we have a chance,” says Andy. “We need to do whatever we can to increase that chance.”

Getting There

Whom to Call: The Florida-based Africa Adventure Company has planned unparalleled safaris across Africa for over 30 years, and is considered one of the world's leading travel specialists. Contact Mark Nolting and his team at safari@africanadventure.com or 1.800.882.9453.

Outside the U.S., Caroline Bayly of Classic Escapes has spent the last two decades creating custom-tailored African adventures. Email her at caroline@classic-escapes.com.

When To Go: Game viewing is best during the dry season from June to October (though October can be scorchingly hot). The emerald season, a prime time for birders, begins in November, when the rains begin and the bush is reborn. Chindeni and Bilimungwe Bushcamps are open from May to December; Kuyenda and Chamilandu, June to November; Kapamba, April to January; and Zungulila, May to January.

I cover travel and lifestyle for ForbesLife, with a focus on uncovering singular destinations and experiences that are authentic and unforgettable. I have a passion for design and am always on the lookout for extraordinary finds—from jewelry to home furnishings—but I have a...